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Arkansas pharmacy helps launch vaccine program that matches people with leftover doses

Dr. B is making sure no vaccine gets wasted and Cornerstone Pharmacy at Rodney Parham got a front row seat to making the idea come to life.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — We've had the vaccine in Arkansas for almost three months and there's been a steady message from the beginning, no vaccine should go to waste.

Now there's a nationwide program that's helping solve that issue by matching people of any age with those extra doses. 

The site is known as "Hi Dr. B." Recently, it is getting national attention on its efforts to make sure vaccine leftovers don't get thrown out. 

Cornerstone Pharmacy at Rodney Parham in Little Rock has been helping test this program from the start, according to the owner and pharmacist Brittany Marsh.

"It's so exciting. I mean more than anything, it's just an opportunity to get the distribution of the vaccine out, so we can beat this pandemic," she said.

We've all heard the stories of people just being in the right place at the right time and getting that shot in the arm before it goes to waste.

"I know everyone knows that you get to the end of the day and there are vaccines that are leftover at some pharmacies, that's not a hidden thing," Marsh said.

What used to be chaotic and somewhat luck of the draw, now has a method to the madness, by matching people of any age with leftover doses.

This is all thanks to a New York-based start-up company, Dr. B, and Marsh's Arkansas pharmacy.

"They came down for a few days starting back in February and we got it together in about a month, which is record timing for something like that," she said.

According to Marsh, the team reached out to her because they saw Arkansas's success with the vaccine rollout. 

Now, just a month later, and over a million people have their names on the waitlist.

"The most important thing with Dr. B was to get the first vaccine in the arm and once that was launched, we have grown exponentially and now we are saving many vaccines because of it," she said.

So how does it work? All you have to do is complete a profile on hidrb.com. Then, registered providers will let the program know when there are leftover doses. 

After that, you'll receive a text message about a nearby pharmacy with extra shots and Marsh said they'll even give you an exact time to come by.

"It helps us to distinguish who qualifies for the vaccine and it gets them in the door in a timely manner," she said. 

Anyone can put their name on the waitlist, whether you're eligible in the state or not, but Marsh said who ends up getting the extra doses first is based on the local government guidelines.

"I just hope that the more word is spread about Dr. B, the more likely it will be that there won't be any wasted doses," she said.

If you're a vaccine provider you can also register with Dr. B on the site.

    

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